Descripción del proyecto
El entorno molecular de la formación de la memoria
La memoria es fundamental para diversos aspectos del comportamiento y a lo largo de los años se han logrado avances importantes para comprender los mecanismos subyacentes. El pollo constituye un buen modelo experimental para estudiar la impronta, un proceso de las primeras etapas de la vida que se asocia con una alta eficiencia del aprendizaje y una sólida retención de la memoria. El proyecto financiado con fondos europeos CHARM-Vis investigará los mecanismos moleculares implicados en la impronta visual del pollo. Se hará hincapié en el entorno de la cromatina en el prosencéfalo de los pollos, la región donde se almacena la información sobre un estímulo visual. Para este fin, los científicos utilizarán técnicas de bioinformática y secuenciación de próxima generación.
Objetivo
The molecular mechanisms underlying memory formation in vertebrates are not well understood, despite their paramount importance to neuroscience. CHARM-Vis aims at investigating changes in the chromatin landscape and transcriptional activity in a prototypical model system for memory formation: visual imprinting in domestic chicks.
The expected outcome of the project is remarkable. The use of single-cell, next-generation sequencing technologies will allow to study the system of interest at an unprecedented level of resolution, potentially leading to relevant new discoveries. Novel bioinformatics software pipelines will be developed for analyzing the data, and made available as free, open source software. All the data generated in the project will be made public as well, in order to benefit future research.
A highly interdisciplinary consortium of world leading institutions will be involved in the project, including experts in chick visual imprinting from Ilia State University, Georgia, bioinformatics specialists from Navarrabiomed, Spain, and biotechnology experts from Karolinska Institute, Sweden. The combined expertise and synergy of the international consortium, along with the long-lasting scientific experience of the applicant, will ensure the successful fulfillment of the proposal.
All the involved parties will greatly benefit from participating into the project. The applicant will deepen his expertise in bioinformatics and neuroscience, reinforcing his position as independent researcher. A mutual exchange of knowledge will take place among the involved institutions, whose know-hows are highly complementary. The project will also have beneficial, long-lasting effects after its end. We expect novel scientific questions to spring from the results of the project, stimulating the applicant as well as other researchers in performing further research, expanding the current knowledge and consolidating their careers.
Ámbito científico
Programa(s)
Convocatoria de propuestas
Consulte otros proyectos de esta convocatoriaConvocatoria de subcontratación
H2020-WF-01-2018
Régimen de financiación
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EFCoordinador
0162 Tbilisi
Georgia